Social Media users not just passive couch potatoes!

by smartamarketing

Media Uses and Gratification

Recipients of communication are not just passive couch potatoes. The basic premise of uses and gratification theory is that the communication process is interactive. The communicator wants to inform and, ultimately, motivate people to act on the information. Recipients want to be entertained, informed, or alerted to opportunities that can fulfill their needs.

Thus, people make highly intelligent choices about what messages require their attention and meet their needs. That is why people are very selective about what articles they will read in the local daily. The role of the public relations writer, then, is to tailor messages that are meaningful to the audience. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which will be discussed shortly, relates to the basic needs of individuals.